Dallas Cowboys Blog

Jason Garrett: Felix Jones’ weight ‘never really was an issue’

IRVING – DeMarco Murray’s sprained left foot will likely impact more than just the running game on Sunday at Carolina.

With Felix Jones stepping into the starting running back role, there will probably be less kickoff returns for the former first-round pick.

Lance Dunbar, an undrafted rookie who was signed off the practice squad last week, will likely be the team’s primary kickoff returner.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that Dunbar has been returning kicks in practice but added that Jones will continue to get work there as well.

If Jones is getting the same workload he received during the second half at Baltimore, it’s difficult to believe that the Cowboys would also have him returning all of their kickoffs.

“You always want to have guys you can rotate through and if we feel like he’s getting too much work on offense, give the other guy a chance,” Garrett said.

Jones had his best outing of the young season last Sunday, rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Garrett said Jones can “absolutely” handle an increased workload because he was able to do that when Murray was injured last season.

“We feel really good about Felix Jones,” Garrett said. “He’s been a really good football player for us for the last four years.”

Jones appeared to be out of shape to start the season. He failed the team’s conditioning test to open training camp and seemed to lack his exceptional burst throughout preseason and the first four games of the regular season.

While some speculated that Jones had gained weight, Garrett said Wednesday that the 25-year-old’s weight, “never really was an issue.”

Instead, the Cowboys coach pointed to Jones’ rehab from off-season shoulder surgery as a reason for his slow start.

“I think the biggest issue with Felix was the injury that he had and missed the entire off-season,” Garrett said. “Difficult for him to run and get himself in the condition that he needs to get into to play running back in the National Football League. But that was a long time ago. He’s played a lot of football since then. He worked his way back through training camp and got some opportunities the other day in the game and showed us what he can do.”